Piano Trio No. 2 (Brahms)
The Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87 is a chamber work by Johannes Brahms for piano, violin and cello. Brahms began it in 1880 and finished it in 1882, and it was first published by the Berlin firm N. Simrock.[1:1] It has four movements and lasts roughly 29 minutes.[1:1]
Brahms first wrote only the opening movement, in 1880, then rewrote it and composed the other three in 1882.[2:1] A second trio, in E-flat major, was begun alongside it and abandoned.[3:1] The C major trio was premiered in Frankfurt on December 29, 1882, with Brahms at the piano.[1:1]
Composition
According to the program notes of the musicologist Jane Vial Jaffe, Brahms completed the first movement in June 1880 at Ischl, and wrote the remaining three movements in June 1882, again at Ischl.[4:1] The writer Timothy Judd adds that Brahms put the trio aside for two years in between, during which he worked on his Second Piano Concerto and Third Symphony, and was 49 when he finished it.[5:1]
The critical edition of the work in the Johannes Brahms Gesamtausgabe reports that no copyist's fair copy of the score exists. The composer's autograph manuscript served as the engraver's model for the first edition.[2:1]
The abandoned E-flat trio
In 1880 Brahms wrote the opening movement of a trio in E-flat major at the same time as the C major movement. Later he destroyed the E-flat movement and expanded the C major one into a full trio in 1882.[3:1] The Hyperion program notes say that Clara Schumann had preferred the E-flat piece.[6:1]
Premiere and early reception
Before the public premiere, the trio was tried out privately: on August 25, 1882 at Altaussee, and on October 19, 1882 at the Vienna home of Theodor Billroth.[4:1]
The first public performance was given on December 29, 1882, at a chamber music evening of the Frankfurt Museumsgesellschaft (Museum Society), by Hugo Heermann (violin), Valentin Müller (cello) and Brahms (piano).[1:1] A German-language chamber music guide notes that the premiere was held in Frankfurt rather than in Vienna.[3:1]
Brahms thought highly of the piece. He told Simrock that the publisher had not so far had such a beautiful trio from him and very probably had not published one to match it in the previous ten years.[4:2]
Clara Schumann was more mixed. After a reading at Christmas she wrote that she enthused about individual passages, but that the whole did not give her a satisfying impression, except for the Andante, which she called wonderful.[3:1]
Structure
The trio has the four-movement layout of a classical sonata cycle.
| No. | Movement | Form and key notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allegro (moderato) | Sonata form, 3/4 time |
| 2 | Andante con moto | Theme and variations, A minor |
| 3 | Scherzo. Presto — Poco meno presto | Scherzo and trio, C minor |
| 4 | Finale. Allegro giocoso | Blend of sonata and rondo forms |
First movement
The Hyperion notes describe an imperious first theme given out in octaves by the violin and cello alone, followed by a shadowy, chromatic second subject and a gracious closing theme in dotted rhythm.[6:1] Judd points to four related themes in 3/4 time, frequent hemiolas (a rhythmic device in which two groups of three beats are felt as three groups of two), and a development section that modulates to D-flat major.[5:1]
Second movement
The slow movement is a set of variations on a melancholy theme in A minor. The theme is presented in unison by cello and violin, and its short-long "Scotch snap" rhythm gives it a folk-like character.[6:1] Judd compares its folk-song roots to Brahms's Hungarian Dances.[5:1]
Third movement
The scherzo is in C minor. The Hyperion notes call it a mysterious, fleeting piece whose predominant dynamic is pianissimo (very quiet), and contrast it with the more confident, soaring melody of the trio section.[6:1] Judd likens the movement to the rustling of a dark, nocturnal forest.[5:1]
Finale
The finale combines sonata and rondo forms and opens with a distinctive motif.[5:1] The Hyperion notes call it a good-humoured rondo with a staccato repeated-note figure in the piano accompaniment.[6:1]
Publication
The first edition was issued by N. Simrock in Berlin, plate number 8324.[1:1] Sources disagree on the date. IMSLP lists the first edition as 1883, while the Hyperion notes say the trio was published in December 1882.[6:1] The question could be settled by examining a dated copy of the first edition or Simrock's publication records.
A critical edition of Op. 87 and Op. 101, edited by Bernd Wiechert, appeared in Munich in 2024 as Series II, Volume 6b of the complete works.[2:1]
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ↗ premiere-1882-12-29 Piano Trio No.2, Op.87 (Brahms, Johannes). IMSLP. https://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Trio_No.2,_Op.87_(Brahms,_Johannes).
- ^a ^b ^c ↗ first-movement-rewritten-autograph-source Wiechert, Bernd. Klaviertrios Nr. 2 C-Dur op. 87 und Nr. 3 c-Moll op. 101. Johannes Brahms Gesamtausgabe, Serie II, Band 6b. Johannes Brahms Gesamtausgabe, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. https://www.brahmsausgabe.uni-kiel.de/erschienene-baende/klaviertrios-nr-2-c-dur-op-87-und-nr-3-c-moll-op-101/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ↗ eflat-trio-destroyed-clara-andante Klaviertrio Nr. 2 C-Dur, op. 87. Kammermusikführer. https://www.kammermusikfuehrer.de/werke/365.
- ^a ^b ↗ composition-ischl-private-trials ^ ↗ simrock-letter-beautiful-trio Jaffe, Jane Vial. Piano Trio No. 2 in C, Op. 87, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). Parlance Chamber Concerts, individual program notes. https://www.parlancechamberconcerts.org/individual-program-notes/johannes-brahms-(1833-1897)/piano-trio-no.-2-in-c,-op.-87.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ↗ movement-descriptions-judd Judd, Timothy (2023-04-14). Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major: A Conversation Between Opposites. The Listeners’ Club. https://thelistenersclub.com/2023/04/14/brahms-piano-trio-no-2-in-c-major-a-conversation-between-opposites/.
- ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ↗ simultaneous-trios-publication-dec-1882 Trio for piano, violin and cello in C major, Op 87. Hyperion Records. Hyperion Records. https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/tw.asp?w=W4178.